Electrotherapeutic appliance



., Filed Jan. 19, 1.944

u i 29, 1948. A. HANDH LD v 2,4 4,098

ELECTRO- THERAPEUTIC APPLIANCE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Zfmfiefi lzzzyezzior;

Jane 29, 1948. AHANDHELD v 2,444,098

ELECTRO-THERAPEUTIQ APPLIANCE Filed Jan. 19, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Arm Handfield Inventor:

, By W a.

Paiezzifliiorzzqy v Patented June 29, 1948 sures ATENT My invention 1 rel ates to trmtherapeutic appliances; 1 particularly of the type adapted to'be women the foot of the wearer.- Itf'has been known. for a long time that'a pair of metallic .plateimeanseach. constructed of a respectively" different metal larity if worn adjacent to. function somehow with th fo'rm..a galvanic celli" I have used suchfidevices.

other.

difierent polarityonot one polarity in one shoe polarity irrthe othervshoer electro-therapeutic efiects.

My invention specifical dissipate {disagreeable sali of the wearer.

These and sucht'oth'er. objects "of my invention as mayhereinafter appear, Willbe best understood J ccompanying drawings, whichiillustrate an embodiment thereof anclvarious sub-combinationsthereof.

fromadescription of thee In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational View partly broken away showing my invention in a pair Worn by a wearer;

Fig. 2 is a similar side ing my invention in use in P Fig. 3 is a top perspective view of a pair of insoles modified to provide ment of my invention;

Fig. 4 is a rear perspective view of the pair of insoles shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a rear with my invention;

Fig. 6 is a reverse attached to omitted Fig. 7 is 'a perspective view of a heel plate constructed in accordance with my invention, de-

and

tached from the insole;

So'fa'r as Iam awaradn most. instances. there .eitlier. has 1966115118. i direct ground frDm-thplate. means to: the. ground or the plate means'of difirent'polarity have been worn in close association oralmost in contact with each My invention comprises plate means of grounded and worn by the wearer in contact with the skin at a relative distance. from ioneanother, such as plate means of perspective view of a heel plate shown in Figs. 1-4 and constructed in accordance plan view of such .a heel plate an insole otherwise equipped with 0 my invention with the rear wall of the heel plate improvements in elecarch in Figs; 1-3 and 6. l

to be of. :difle'rent pothe' skin 'ofithewearer e body ofrthe. wearer to am aware that :others Nlb'h-aving respective and'one- -of a diiferent galvanic plate means;

-My. invention produces I ly 'relates to the coninner edge Zlla or 20b the-arch Meter 2% ing the arch 22a or use in one shoe of elevational View showthe opposite shoe of the the preferred embodi- Said plate [6a or IM or l8b with and 6.

of each shoe respectivel inso spective galvanic. plate. In spective insole 5| 2a;- and I 2b; means being or'diffe'rentjshap of shoes and of difierent pol form an electric, cell with th ov though. it is apparent th may be employed without the others. ferred. embodiinent;I employ a combi supDOrting and galvanicplate Ilia and tively for each shoe; forthis purposeI respective insoles Hat and spectiv-e combination arch su vanic plateslfia and 'IBb-L In'- insole 12aand 4 2b is provide cular' pocket l 8a or 4-81) res can Figr-8 is" a perspective view or the combination supporting and'galvanic plate" I may em ploy in the embodiments of-my;invention shown-' In the drawin-gs,"wherein like characters of ref-- erenceindicate like parts throughoutyllla'and Hibgenerally; indicate a pair o my invention in; use;--associated with the insoles IZa and 12b abutting thefeet I 4a and ed, sewed or otherwise ombination arch sup- I 6a or I 6b as shown To provide a greater contact with the foot of the wearer I preferably also employ a galvanic heel plate 34a or 34b covering the heel 36a or 36b y, each preferably having spaced prong means 38a or 381) projecting downwardly therefrom, adjacent the front end thereof, piercing the insole He or [2b respectively to Broad-ly my invention comprises, 'in combination; a pairof shoes I Ila-and les 1 2dand 12b and re'- s overlying eac-h re said "galvanic plate a to fit into the pair arity in ,each" shoeto e body of the wearer; 1-4, :'my preferred typeof erlying F each insole; alat various parts thereof nation arch 16b respecmodifythe [2b to contain-said irepporting :and galthis instance each d with a 'semi-cir pectively-facing 'the thereof; respectively; below of the foot,- said pocket I Ba or I87) being provided with -acentral"substantial: ly semi-circular'open portion 24a or-Mb contact- 22b of the foot. Said pocket War or lab may be formed by splitting the insole or by a separate piece of material, cut to a shape to provide the pocket and having the open portion 24a or 24b, cement aflixed to the insole. Eac porting and galvanic plate more particularly in Fig. 8, is preferably of semicircular shape having a diametric edge 26a and a semi-circular edge 28a and radially convexed up to a center high point 32a. 16b is contained in said pocket the diametric edge 26a or 26b thereof respectively outermost as shown in Figs. 3

has an upper wall 300,

plate 34a or 341) in the rigidly mount the heel heel of the shoe in contact with the heel 40a, or

Mb of the wearer. In the preferred embodiment shown in Figs. 1-5 said heel plate also has a rear wall 42a or 42b extending vertically upwardly therefrom of substantially one-half the length thereof and having the ends at or 4411 thereof tapering downwardly and forwardly around the edges of the wearers heels 40a or 4012 to substantially the mid portions 46a or 401) of the edge walls of said heel plates.

It is thus apparent that all the galvanic plate means, including the combination arch supporting and galvanic plates l6a and 16b and the heel plates Ma and 3419 may be employed together as in the embodiment shown in Figs. 1-4 or they may be employed separately as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6 and also, if desired, the rear walls 42a, 42b of the heel plates Ma and 301) may be dispensed with.

It is obvious that said galvanic plate means are of different shape to fit into a pair of shoes and in accordance with the teachings of my invention are of a different polarity in each shoe to form an electric cell with the body of the wearer. In the embodiment shown all the plate, means employed in one shoe are constructed of metal of one polarity, such as copper providing an anode, and all the galvanic plate means of the other shoe are constructed of metal of a different polarity, such as zinc, to provide a cathode to set up a galvanic current with the body of the wearer.

As shown my improved invention may be sold attached to the insole as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 6 or may be sold as individual pieces as shown in Figs. 5, '7 and 8.

It is apparent, therefore, that I have provided a novel type of electro-therapeutic device with the advantages described above.

It is understood that my invention is not limited to the specific embodiments shown and that various deviations may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is: I

1. An electro-therapeutic appliance, comprising, in combination, a pair of inner soles each having a semi-circular pocket facing the inner edge thereof below the arch of the foot and having a central substantially semi-circular open portion for contacting the arch of the foot and galvanic plate means adapted to overlie each contained in said pocket inner sole, comprising for each foot, a semicircular combination arch supporting and galvanic plate having a radially convexed upper wall diametric edge outermost, and a galvanic flat heel plate having spaced prong means projecting downwardly adjacent the front end thereof, piercing the inner sole, adapted to cover the heel of each shoe in contact with the heel of the wearer, said heel plate also having a rear wall extending vertically upwardly therefrom, said galvanic plate means being of different shape to fit in a pair of shoes and of different polarity in each shoe to form an electric cell with the body of the wearer.

2. An electi e-therapeutic appliance, comprising, in combination, a pair of inner soles each having a semi-circular pocket facing the inner edge thereof below the arch of the foot and having a central substantially semi-circular open portion for contacting the arch of the foot and galvanic plate means adapted to overlie each inner sole, comprising for each foot, a semi-circular combination arch supporting and galvanic plate having a radially convexed upper wall contained in said pocket diametric edge outermost, and a galvanic fiat heel plate having spaced prong means projecting downwardly adjacent the front end thereof, piercing the inner sole, adapted to cover the heel of each shoe in contact with the heel of the wearer, said galvanic plate means being of difierent shape to fit in a pair of shoes and of different polarity in each shoe to form an electric cell with the body of the wearer.

ARTHUR HANDFIELD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

